13 Colorful Tattoo Ideas that Will Inspire You to Think Beyond Black and White

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We don't limit our wardrobes or makeup to just black and white, so why do so with tattoos? (Well, most of us, at least.) Some of the best tattoos we've found while scrolling on Instagram are made up of some of the brightest colors in the rainbow.
A colorful tattoo is exactly the same as a black-and-white tattoo — except tattoo artists use the brightest, borderline neon inks they can find. (It should be noted that none of the tattoos you're about to see aren't done with glow-in-the-dark or UV-reactive ink, though. All of these are considered unsafe and have not been approved by the FDA.)
Colorful tattoos heal and feel the same way as any other body art. The biggest difference comes down to the order in which the colors are applied. "Any amount of darker ink that seeps into the neon can adversely effect the color permanently, particularly its ability to glow when placed under UV light," says Kayla Newell, a tattooer at Kilroy's Tattoo in Portland, Oregon. "So I use it really carefully." As for whether a colorful tattoo lasts as long as a black-and-white design, the jury is still out. "All tattoos fade with time, but color definitely fades faster than black," says Charline Bataille, a Montreal-based tattoo artist. And all agree that by rubbing some sunscreen on tatts — every day — will keep them from fading faster.
Without further ado, keep scrolling to for 13 colorful ink ideas etched by some of our favorite tattoo artists on Instagram.

Bright Bouquet

When brainstorming tattoo designs, Bataille likes to sit down with her client and always asks them what their favorite flowers and colors are — no matter what the tattoo is. "When I draw my tattoos, I always collaborate with my client," she says. "To me, their agency is very important." This bright bouquet just happens to play on both the client and artist's preferences.

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Make a Statement

"My client wanted to use a strong symbol of second-wave feminism and reappropriate it to her own definition of activism," Bataille explains. "She wanted to reject the oppression beauty standards of capitalist white supremacist patriarchy while still putting a cutesy, frilly piece of clothing on her skin because she is, herself, quite girly. To each their own!"